ML611646676

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Continuing rarity, presumably the same individual that wintered here last year. Originally, found on a CBC on 12/31/2022; first spotted by Joe Melony and reported by Jonathan Heller. I went and saw the bird on January 2, a lifer then. Apparently, the bird continued for a long time, last being seen sometime around the end of March. Now, on 10/23/2023, the bird was spotted at the nearby Washington Boro Park by Stanley C. Stahl, who then recorded it the following day back at the water treatment plant. From what I've observed, the bird has been a lot more hit or miss than it was last winter. Since I was in the area, I decided I'd stop by for a couple minutes to hopefully get a glimpse of the bird flycatching around the hypochlorite tanks as it did last winter. What I didn't expect was to pull up to the fence, look down at my phone to record my start time, then look back up to see the phoebe bound through the air and land directly in front of my car. Got to watch it very close up for a minute or so, but didn't get pictures because if I'd moved I would've scared it. But how amazing to see this western bird right in front of me in Pennsylvania! Eventually it flew off but I decided to position myself better and wait for another opportunity for pictures this time. It took almost two hours, the bird mostly flying around the tanks and the roof of the nearby building, and several times frustratingly farther down the fence, but finally it flew back in to the fence where I was waiting and posed gorgeously. So happy to get a picture I'm happy with of this rare species!!

Technical information

Original file size

5.33 MB